Endless band puzzle



Feb. l5, 1.966 l E. FRANKL 3,235,262

ENnLEss BAND PUZZLE Filed July 27, 1962 INVENTOR.

f m MMYW United States Patent 3,235,262 ENDLESS BAND PUZZLE Ernest Franki, Middieboro, Mass., assignor to Winthrop- Atkins Co., Inc., Middleboro, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed .luly 27, 1962, Ser. No. 212,816 7 Claims. (Cl. 273-155) This invention relates to a device for amusement and/or educational purposes of the kind in which two sets of bands are arranged at right angles to each other and, by movement relative to each other, may be manipulated to correlate certain data on the bands to produce pictures and/or present the solutions to problems and the like.

The principal objects of the invention are to provide a device of the foregoing kind designed to effect economies in manufacture and assembly and to provide for ease of manipulation and attractiveness.

As herein illustrated, the device has spaced parallel, rectangularly arranged pairs of supports and endless bands entrained about the supports for movement thereon at right angles to each other, characterized in that the upper and lower runs of the bands, situated between one pair of supports, have contact with each other in a common plane throughout their length between the supports and alternately pass above and between the pairs of runs of the bands entrained about the other pair of supports. The device comprises a rigid frame of rectangular configuration having recesses in its four sides within which are disposed the supports on which the bands are entrained and is constructed of upper and lower halves joined in a median plane, the adjacent sides of the halves containing journals for receiving the ends of the supports. The upper half has a window opening of rectangular shape which forms a frame for the web of woven bands and the lower half has a back which closes it.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. l is a plan view of the device broken away in part at one corner;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation;

FIG. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line 3 3 of F IG. l;

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal section taken on the line 4 4 of FIG. l;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary bottom view taken adjacent one corner;

FIG. 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a side view of an endless band; and

FIG. 8 is a plan View ofthe band.

The device is of the kind having a plurality of endless bands supported at right angles to each other for movement relative to each other to bring portions of the several ban-ds into such position as to produce a picture or the like, to spell words, or `to give the answers to a numerical problem.

The device is made up of a pair of rigid, rectangular frame .halves 1G and 12 adapted to be placed together in abutting engagement, open side to open side, to support two pairs of rollers 14-14 and 16-16 at right angles to each other on which endless bands 18 are entrained.

Each frame has spaced parallel end members 20-20 and spaced parallel side members 22--22 at right angles thereto which contain rectangular recesses 24--24 and 26-26 respectively, providing spaced parallel shoulders between which the rollers 14-14 and 16-16 are mounted parallel to the e-nds and sides. Each of the frames and 12 has a semicilcular opening 28 in the shoulder portions 25 and 27 which collectively provide circular openings at the ends of the recesses for receiving the reduced lCe end portions 30 of the rollers 14 and 16. The two frame halves have interftting recesses and pins 32 and 34 (FIG. 6) respectively, in their corner portions adapted to be frictionally engaged to hold the frame together following assembly. The frame 10 contains a rectangular display opening 36, while the frame 12 preferably has a closing back panel 38.

The frame halves 10 and 12, as herein illustrated, are made of a rigid plastic molded to shape, of suitable color and of decorative appearance, however, it is to be understood that the frame may be fabricated of any suitable material such as composition board, sheet metal or wood. The rollers likewise may be made of plastic, metal or wood. The surfaces of the rollers are preferably smooth enough so that rotation of the rollers in manipulating a specific band will not be imparted to the adjacent bands.

The bands 18 (FIGS. 7 and 8) are comprised of a flexible material such as paper covered on one surface with a plastic film or coating. For example, the picture which is to be the subject matter of the puzzle is printed on a sheet of paper whereupon the printed surface is coated with a tough, flexible plastic which will withstand repeated flexing and rubbing without cracking or peeling. In accordance with conventional practice in the construction `of this kind of puzzle, the surface of the band is divided up into small areas 4G which carry specific portions of the picture or other data to be assembled by manipulation of the bands thereon. The bands, as shown, are of endless construction and, in accordance with an important aspect of the invention, are mounted on the rollers supported by the frame in the following manner. The frame halves are separated, placed face down and the bands 18, extending lengthwise of the frame (FIG. 4) of which four are shown herein, vare mounted on the rollers 14--14 side-by-side in one half whereupon the bands which are to be disposed transversely of the frame (FIG. 3) are folded flat, that is, so that the runs between the ends have contact with each other and then one end, starting from left to right, is drawn across both runs of the rst band next between the runs of the second band, then across both runs of the third band, and nally between the runs of the fourth band. The next transverse band is drawn between the runs of the first band, then across both runs of the second band, then between the runs of the third band, and finally across both runs of the fourth band. The third and fourth bands are repeats of the rst and second. As shown in FIG. 4, viewed from right angles, only the upper runs of the longitudinal bands are woven with respect to the transverse bands, passing, as shown herein, over the iirst transverse band, under the second, over the third, and under the fourth. The lower runs travel in a straight undeviatng plane beneath all of the bands. After the transverse bands have been set into place, the rollers 16-16 are inserted through the loops at the ends of the transverse bands and tted into the openings 28 whereupon the other half of the frame is fitted into place so as to hold the rollers in position. This mode of assembly involves a minimum amount of weaving, permits assembly of the closed loops in contrast to prior structures in which open bands had to be woven through and joined one-by-one on the iinished article in order to effect the weaving and thus makes manufacture and assembly much less expensive which is an important consideration in a low-price article of this kin-d.

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modiiications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. An amusement or educational device comprising spaced parallel, rectangularly `arranged pairs of supports,

endless bands entrained between the supports for movement thereon at right angles to each other, said bands bearing indicia which may be brought into predetermined relation by relative movement thereof, characterized in that the upper and lower runs of the bands, entrained about one of the pair of supports, have contact with each other in a common plane throughout their lengths between the supports and alternately pass above and between the pairs of runs of the bands entrained about the supports at right angles thereto.

2. A device according to claim 1, characterized in that adjacent bands on the one pair of supports are alternately situated above and between adjacent bands on the other pair of supports.

3. A device according to claim l, characterized in that the lower run of each of the bands on the other pair of supports travels in a common plane and the upper run alternately travels above and below the path of the runs of each of the bands at right angles thereto.

4. An amusement device comprising a rigid rectangular frame, two pairs of supports on the frame disposed with their axes at right angles and in a common plane, a irst plurality of endless bands having upper and lower runs, said bands being mounted on one pair of supports sideby-side, with their lends passing about said supports, the upper and lower runs of allof the bands having undeviating Contact with each other in the plane of the axes, and a second plurality of endless bands having upper and lower runs, sai-d second plurality of bands being mounted on the other pair of supports side-by-side, with their ends passing about said supports, the upper runs of which alternately travel above and below a pair of runs of the first plurality of bands and the lower runs of which travel in an undeviating common plane below said first plurality of bands.

5.' A device according to claim e, wherein the frame has shallow upper andlower halves meeting in a cornmon median plane and has opposed recesses in the meeti ing portions for receiving the supports to hold the latter between the frame halves with their axes in said median plane.

6. A device according to claim 4, wherein the frame comprises a hollow rigid body having ends and sides divided medially between the top and bottoni to provide upper and lower halves of corresponding shape adapted to be fitted together, each half containing openings which, in combination with each other, provide bearings for the supports.

7. A device according to claim 4, wherein said frame comprises spaced parallel, rectangular frame halves containing rectangular recesses at the outer edges of the ends and sides, said supports being disposed in the recesses parallel to the edges, one of the frame halves containing a display opening, th-e dimensions of which correspond to the lengths of the recesses at the ends and sides, said first plurality of bands being disposed on the one pair of supports with their ends looped about the supports and with their runs passing therefrom beneath the display opening of theone frame half, and said secon-d plurality of bands being mounted on the other pair of supports interwoven with the bands of the first plurality so as to form a web within the display opening made up of a plurality of squares bearing indicia which may bemoved relative to each other by rotation of the bands on the supports.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,439,583 4/1948 Shamah l0-96 2,989,818 6/1961 Pilger et al 46-.7

FOREIGN PATENTS 573,641 3/1924 France. 249,892 5/ 19.48 Switzerland.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN AMUSEMENT OR EDUCATIONAL DEVICE COMPRISING SPACED PARALLEL, RECTANGULARLY ARRANGED PAIRS OF SUPPORTS, ENDLESS BANDS ENTRAINED BETWEEN THE SUPPORTS FOR MOVEMENT THEREON AT RIGHT ANGLES TO EACH OTHER, SAID BANDS BEARING INDICIA WHICH MAY BE BROUGHT INTO PREDETERMINED RELATION BY RELATIVE MOVEMENT THEREOF, CHARACTERIZED IN THAT THE UPPER AND LOWER RUNS OF THE BANDS, ENTRAINED ABOUT ONE OF THE PAIR OF SUPPORTS, HAVE CONTACT WITH EACH OTHER IN A COMMON PLANE THROUGHOUT THEIR LENGTHS BETWEEN THE SUPPORTS AND ALTERNATELY PASS ABOVE AND BETWEEN THE PAIRS OF RUNS OF THE BANDS ENTRAINED ABOUT THE SUPPORTS AT RIGHT ANGLES THERETO. 